Make It Up
by Skordil Wabramop
Summary: What should any good heroine do when she wants to help her friends? Obviously making up convoluted plans is at the top of Ino's list. LeeIno
1. The Long List of Girls

**Note: **This may be terrible, this may be okay. It will probably be short and mostly boring. In fact, I would go as far as to say that this won't make much sense sometimes. I wanted to do something different and this is the best I could come up with. Yes, the pairing is unusual, but it has been done before. Constructive criticism and even just complaints are always welcome.

**I don't own Naruto; the characters and all involved belong to Masashi Kishimoto. I make no money doing this. Thanks.**

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><p><strong>Make It Up<strong>

_You won't lose my love, just back away. Take a weapon and aim it at someone you'll stay with. – **The Long List of Girls (the blow)**_

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><p>It was Ino's first night off from T&amp;I in weeks. She, Tenten, and Sakura decided on a night of drinking, complaining about work and men, and generally letting loose. Hinata's invite by word of mouth got lost in her mess of work and duties as the Hyuuga Heiress. They just assumed she was as busy as always as they claimed a table inside the bar, leaving one spot open for their moon eyed friend if she were able to show.<p>

They watched as, across the bar, Lee challenged Sasuke to any kind of _youthful_ contest he can think of.

"If I eat more sashimi than you in just one minute, you must allow me to win back the heart of Sakura!" The man forever in the green jumpsuit slammed his fist upon the bar, earning a glare from the bar keeper. Not that he noticed; his full attention was on the man sitting to his left.

"No." was all Lee received in response from the Uchiha, who looked over at the girls sitting at the table. He looked right at Sakura, a small smile on his face.

"He looks weird when he does that," Tenten remarked, sipping her sake.

"He's so hot," Sakura breathed, giving Sasuke a small wave. Instead of returning the gesture, he nodded once at her and downed his drink.

"Hey, hey, I'll compete with you, bushy brows!" Naruto yelled from his place on the left side of Sasuke. "Whoever wins has to buy all the drinks!"

"Would I be included in that?" Sai inquired, leaning across the bar from Naruto's left.

"Of course! Lee's gonna pay for everything!" Naruto exclaimed, a wide grin on his face.

The girls tuned them out, Ino gazing at Sai for a moment longer than she intended before smirking at the other women at her table. "I wonder if Hinata would've thrown her duties to the wind if we had told her Naruto would be here."

"You know it," Tenten giggled, her face gaining a slight blush already.

"What are you going to do about lover boy over there?" the blonde asked, sipping on her water. She wanted to loosen up like the rest of them, but Ibiki had made it clear that there was a chance she would have to return to work to help _probe some minds_. Besides, she knew sober was just as fun because if anyone knew how to have a good time under even the most dire of circumstances, it was Ino.

"I'm not going to do anything. Sasuke doesn't see him as a threat so why make a fuss?" Sakura took a gulp of her sake, sighing, and her companions could tell she was obviously bothered by Lee's pestering.

"Want me to do something about it?" Ino offered, not sure where she was going with the question, but hoping she could at least make this night an interesting one.

Sakura raised an eyebrow in question. "What could you possibly do to make the situation better?"

"I don't know about better," Ino laughed, taking another sip. "But I could try to talk him out of harassing your precious Sasuke for the rest of the night if it would make my _best friend _rest easy."

The pink haired woman shrugged, ignoring the stress that Ino put on "best friend". She didn't need to be reminded _again_ that she and Ino had come to terms with their rivalry. Lately Ino seemed to find different ways of getting under her skin that didn't involve calling her out on her large forehead or fighting for Sasuke. "Sure, good luck."

Ino stood from the table, a smirk on her face. As the blonde walked toward the group of men, Tenten giggled, giving Sakura a mirthful look, "No one can talk Lee out of anything he really wants. Doesn't she know who he is?"

Again, Sakura shrugged. She was just here to have a good evening.

Lee paused in his furious eating of the raw fish when a small but firm hand gripped his arm. "Lee-kun, please come with me." He looked over his shoulder to see Ino, confusion making its way across his face. He let her pull him out of the bar, still wondering what was suddenly going on. They stopped a few yards away from the entrance of the bar.

"Look, lover boy, you need to stop." Ino got straight to the point. "It has been months since you dated Sakura. She obviously doesn't want to be with you or she would. She's with Sasuke now. It's that simple." She had her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed.

"It is not that simple, Ino-san." Lee immediately defended, knowing where this was going. He had heard this talk from both Naruto and Tenten on multiple occasions. "Sakura-chan has a special place in my heart. She cannot –"

Ino cut him off, her hands reaching up to the back of his head, pulling him down toward her. She brushed her lips over his, resisting the urge to laugh when he became quiet and still. It wasn't really a kiss. He smelled awfully of sashimi, which Ino knew to be completely disgusting. Furthermore, why the hell would Ino want to kiss Lee of all people? The guy she would rather be kissing was inside the bar, probably giving off fake smiles to anyone who looked his way. Ino just couldn't stand to hear Lee's ridiculous descriptions of his feelings for Sakura. She didn't want any flowery language reaching her ears unless it was about herself.

Lee pulled Ino's hands away from his head, saying quietly, "Fine." Then he was gone.

_Success!_ Ino thought, heading back into the bar. She was greeted by a cheer from Tenten and an inquiring look from Sakura. "He said he'd stop for now," she told them as she sat back into her seat, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.

"I can't believe it worked. I've told him to back off countless times." The brunette woman at the table pouted a little, looking into her drink before taking a sip.

Ino's smirk grew. "I'm just good, Tenten."

"Are you always going to get him to back off for me?" Sakura asked, a blush on her cheeks from the sake settling into her tummy.

"I don't know why I would have to," Ino scoffed. "Sasuke can do it from now on. Besides, Lee might fall out of love with you someday."

Tenten burst out laughing. "No, that's unlikely. Lee has the spirit of someone who never gives up. Really, do you guys know him at all?"

The pink haired kunoichi looked at her friends apprehensively. "You think he'll always love me? Really?"

Seeing Sakura's look, Tenten shrugged and looked down at her drink thoughtfully, almost shyly. "I don't know. Maybe if he dated someone else, he could fall out of love with you. I don't know how we could get him to be interested in someone else enough to date them, though. Maybe I could – "

"Ino could do it!" Sakura nearly screamed, a new grin on her face.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sakura's grin just widened. "You're totally a flirt, and you're bossy. You're good at getting guys to date you even if they don't like you, right?"

Ino snorted indignantly. "What guy _doesn't_ like me?" Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but Ino put up a hand to stop her. "And _don't_ say Lee. Only Lee would have the hots for Sakura anyway. I'm – "

"Lee _and_ Sasuke," Tenten finally interjected before putting a hand on her mouth and giggling.

The blonde fought the urge to order a hard drink. Some friends these women were! "Sasuke is irrelevant."

"Ino, I _dare_ you to date Lee." Sakura's eyes were narrowed, her huge grin still in place.

Many thoughts raced through Ino's head. _What are we, twelve year olds?_ She wanted to ask. She didn't see anything in dares anymore. What she did see were Tenten's wide eyes and slight frown at this dare. She noticed that the weapons mistress looked ready to object to the idea. That's when she realized that maybe Tenten had a thing for that weird Lee. With that, Ino downed her glass of water as if it were a shot. "Fine, he's as good as mine."

She had a plan.

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><p>It's been almost a week, and she hasn't had a single chance to begin her plan. She'd show Sakura! Today she had to fill in for her mom at the shop. Apparently the Allied Mothers Force was meeting up for some thing that Ino had no interest in hearing about, if she were perfectly honest. She saw him the first time he ran past her parents' flower shop as she was opening it. She also saw him the second time ten minutes later while she was setting up the register and putting on her apron. She was waiting for him the third time, ready to cut him off.<p>

"Good morning, Ino-san!" Lee greeted her, choosing to ignore her sly grin as she stood in his path. "Just going for my post-work out, pre-training run!"

"Right, right," Ino brushed off his words with a wave of her hand. "We are going on a date tonight. Meet me at Gyu-Kaku tonight at seven. Bring money because you're paying."

"But I have – "

"It doesn't matter, Lee! You're going on a date with me tonight!" She crossed her arms and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Gyu-Kaku. Seven pm. Money, bring it."

"Okay, Ino-san, but I do not understand why – "

"We kissed, didn't we? You're obligated to go on at least one date with me." Ino knew how to play her cards right.

Lee blushed uncomfortably, looking away. "Of course. I will meet you tonight. Goodbye."

Another success.

_I may be bossy, but bossy gets shit done._

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><p>Ino wasn't expecting much out of her day in the flower shop. Flowers had become incredibly boring when compared to her job with the T&amp;I force. So she was more than ecstatic when Sai entered the store.<p>

"Welcome!" She called, smiling at him and hoping her apron wasn't as dirty as she felt it was. "What can I get you, Sai-kun?"

He smiled at her before looking around at all of the flowers as he walked past them. "What do you like?"

"You," she said without shame.

His smile faded, and she nearly laughed at his almost blank expression.

"I like tulips and chrysanthemums, but I'd have to say violets are my favorite," Ino offered an actual answer. He nodded, his smile returning. She knew it was fake, but she didn't care. If a fake smile gave her such butterflies, then his real smile must be breathtaking.

"Give me some of those."

After paying for them, he stood around the store for several minutes looking between the flowers in his hand and Ino.

"Were you going to give those to someone?" As the daughter of flower shop owners, Ino knew that most flowers that were bought from there were given to girls throughout Konoha.

"Do you want them?" He held them out at her. "I read that when you find someone attractive, you give them gifts and they kiss you."

The blonde kunoichi smirked. She liked where this was going. "Sai," she said quietly and reached across the counter for the flowers, instead grabbing him by the wrist to pull him closer. Letting her pull him forward, Sai's impassive expression remained even when Ino leaned over the counter to kiss him on the cheek. "You don't need flowers to get kisses from me."

"Then would you kiss me here?" He pointed at his mouth.

She really liked where this was going.

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><p>He wore the jumpsuit. Did Ino forget to tell him not to wear the blasted thing? It didn't matter! He should know not to wear that on a date! Ino had just gotten to the restaurant when she spotted him, so patient and so <em>green<em>.

"Good evening, Ino-san!" He gave her a blinding smile and a thumbs up, but something made Ino feel like it wasn't as sincere as he'd like her to think. _Good! No one should be happy wearing that thing on a date with Ino Yamanaka of all people._ She knew it didn't really matter since she didn't consider this a real date, but _still_.

Things were quiet until they were eating their food. Only a few bites into the meal, Ino stared at Lee, making him uncomfortable. "So, you know, you should consider dating other girls and leaving Sakura alone." She didn't bring up that she couldn't imagine that Lee had a long list of girls waiting for the chance to date him.

The man's expression looked pained, and Ino couldn't help but feel offended. "Ino-san, you are a beautiful representation of all that is youthful, but I cannot betray Sakura-chan. I am only here because you are Sakura's best friend, and honestly..." He trailed off, seeming to look into the distance.

At what, Ino wasn't sure, but she did _not _have time for this. "Honestly, what? Lee, you better spill it!"

"Honestly, I came in the hopes that you would work with me to devise a secret plan to split up Sasuke and Sakura!" He raised a fist in the air as he spoke, but was promptly whacked upon the head with a fist belonging to the annoyed blonde.

"No way!" Ino glared daggers into Lee, lowering her voice. "That's messed up, Lee. Especially for you. Besides if you wanted to devise a secret plan, it would be better to not go yelling it, you obnoxious idiot."

Lee rubbed his head, appreciating that Ino wasn't nearly as strong as Sakura. He looked at his dinner companion hopefully and whispered, "So if I am quiet, you will help me – "

After another swift hit, Ino growled, "No. Isn't Sakura's happiness important to you?"

Resting a hand on his head, Lee's expression softened, his eyes looking down in shame. "Of course."

"Then date other people, Lee. Keep yourself open," Ino advised, looking at her nails. "Sakura would love for you to let her go and find love elsewhere."

"But my heart – "

"Lee," Ino warned.

"I love Saku – "

Ino slapped one of her hands over his mouth."Lee, shut the hell up. What if I set you up with Tenten?" _Here we go_, Ino thought. _I'll just throw that out there, Lee will date Tenten and she'll get her freaky green man. Sakura will get to rest easy, and I'll be the hero. Er, heroine._ She removed her hand, allowing him the chance to speak again.

"I could not date Tenten. She is my comrade and nothing more."

Ino resisted the urge to hit him again. "Why not? Not even for Sakura?"

At this, she was surprised to see Lee blush and grin sheepishly. "Ino-san, Tenten is a strong woman, but she is not the type I would really. . ."

Ino quirked an eyebrow. _So even Rock Lee has preferences when it comes to women. What turns him on, large foreheads?_ She snorted to herself at the thought before finally saying, "Fine, then date me." When his eyes widened, she waved a hand at him dismissively. "It's for practice. I'll show you how nice it is to date someone other than Sakura, and then I'll set you free when you're ready to hit the dating scene. Do we have a deal? For Sakura?"

She held out a hand, but instead of taking it, Lee gave her a thumbs up. She supposed that was the best she was going to get.

On her way home, her mind reeled with ideas and plans. She would need to talk to Tenten soon and set everything into motion.

If there was something that Ino knew about herself is that she was the villain. She may not have tried to kidnap someone or destroy a village, but she was the mean girl who would steal the lead girl's boyfriend (or at least try), the bitch who would crush any girl's self-esteem, the woman whose competitive nature would end up being her downfall. She knew she was beautiful, but that only made it worse. The mean girls were always beautiful, weren't they. This was a shot she was just going to take. The trouble better be damn well worth it. Even if it was only a minor one, she wanted to see herself as the heroine of this story.

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><p>Metal hit wood, burying itself deep into the post. Heavy breathing pierced the night. Tenten leaned on the post, tired and angry. She wouldn't be so mad about Lee missing their weekly sparring session if he hadn't been so careless about telling her it was because he had a date with Ino. So Ino was seriously doing this? Lee didn't deserve to be played, but after being so in love with Sakura for so long, of course he'd only want the next most beautiful woman of their generation. Just another woman who wouldn't appreciate him for who he was. She sighed, fighting off these negative thoughts. Surely, nothing would come from this one date. Lee loved Sakura If anyone could get him to forget the pink haired woman, it would be his best friend and teammate, right?<p>

Picking up some kunai, she laughed at herself._ Yeah right, Tenten_. It wasn't like she wanted to date Lee. She just knew that she was the only one who could see how wonderful Lee was.

She just knew she was pissed.

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><p>I've never written Sai before. I may have him completely off, but this will just be how he is for this story because reasons.<p> 


	2. Pardon Me

**Note: **I know I'm not a gifted writer, but I try. I edit my own things so if there are mistakes (and there will be), sorry in advance. I hope this entertains anyway. To everyone reading this and to those who have reviewed, thank you. I really appreciate it!

_I've felt a heart before, and I'm learning what a heart is for. I believe a heart is made to feel the things that lay in front of it. And I lay before you. – **Pardon Me (the blow)**_

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><p><strong>Date Two (one? Did the first one even count?)<strong>

They were meeting in a small cafe on the quiet side of Konoha that neither of them really visited. The instant she saw Lee already there, waiting for her at a table, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Okay, this needs to stop. Ino ran her hand over her face. Exasperation was not a cute look for her. Or maybe it was. She didn't have time to consider the idea. Joining him, she dropped her arms on the table and sighed heavily. "Lee, I shouldn't have to tell you that wearing your jumpsuit on a date is a bad idea."

The man looked down at his get up. That's what he always wore. "What is wrong with it?"

"It's hideous, Lee," she said matter-of-factly, steepling her fingers and closing her eyes. "Appearance is a big deal. Wear casual clothes on dates."

"You are not wearing casual clothes," Lee pointed out.

"These _are_ my casual clothes!" Ino screeched, opening her eyes in a huff. Sure she was wearing her shinobi attire, but these were good enough for a date with _Lee._ "A person has to be comfortable and look good no matter the situation." She didn't want to make a habit out of hitting him, but if he was going to make stupid comments, it was going to be inevitable.

"Ino-san," He paused, his dark eyes widening slightly. "You are a confusing woman."

The blonde let her eyes roll this time. "All women are confusing. Just remember to wear something else when you go on a date. Make the girl feel like she is worth the trouble."

When he pulled a notebook out of his flak jacket and began to take notes, Ino couldn't help but smile even though she was confused at his willingness. Well, her plans couldn't work if he wasn't willing to take her advice. _Don't question good things, Ino._ She thought to herself as she gazed at his determined expression with a little bit of envy. What wouldn't this fool do for Sakura?

"Also, gifts. Girls love presents."

"Like when Neji would give Tenten things when they dated?"

Ino hadn't known a lot about Neji personally, but she couldn't help the surprised expression that slipped onto her face. Wasn't Lee one of people affected most by Neji's death? She could barely have a casual conversation about Asuma with Chouji or Shikamaru without crying a little, let alone with someone who didn't really know him. Suddenly, her hands became very interesting, and she cleared her throat. The conversation was going in the right direction even if it wasn't how she intended to go about it. "Exactly. Do you know what kinds of things Tenten likes?"

Lee's face brightened, a grin growing on his face. "I do know what Tenten likes! I am going to become the master of dating! Then I will win Saku – I mean, I will win the heart of any woman I want!"

Ino looked up from from her hands to smirk at him.

"For Sakura-chan!"

The kunoichi ran a hand over her face again. She really hoped she could make exasperation look good.

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><p>Tenten couldn't help but feel cornered when her blonde friend stopped her on her way home. It wasn't like she couldn't simply walk past and ignore her which had definitely been Tenten's plans when she first spotted Ino. She just had the feeling that the woman in front of her was going to ask something of her that would only make the brunette as angry as she had been when Lee had told her about their second date going well.<p>

"Let's hang out this weekend." Ino moved to link her arm with Tenten's. They began to walk in the direction that the older woman had been going. "I haven't gotten the chance to see any of the girls lately with my work and seeing Lee during my free time. You've been pretty distant, Tenten. I have so much to tell you about that green goofball."

_There isn't a thing you could tell me about Lee that I wouldn't already know_, Tenten thought viciously although she was curious to hear about what went on during their date because Lee was keeping his mouth shut about the whole thing. Personal business be damned, she just wanted to know if Ino had sank her wanton claws into her teammate already. "What exactly – " was all she got out before Ino interrupted her.

"I'll tell you all about it when you come hang out with me this weekend! Saturday? Go on a leisurely hike with me, hmm?" The demands came out of the blonde's mouth as if they were what she had been wanting to say from the beginning.

Unwinding her arm from Ino's, Tenten looked at a sign on a building, pretending to read it as she thought. Was she curious enough? This invitation to hang out just seemed like a way for Ino to rub the fact that Lee was dating her into her face. She'd rather not hear all the gory details in case Lee and Ino had actually done something, like what if they had _kissed_? No way. It would only make her feel worse about the predicament. Ino was her friend, but this was ridiculous. Making her decision on where she stood in this situation, she looked at Ino, feigning a regretful expression. "Sorry, Ino. I have a mission this weekend. We can hang out some other time."

"Oh really?" Ino's eyes briefly narrowed as she crossed her arms. "Well, I guess that can't be helped."

When she was finally alone in her apartment, Tenten kicked her sandals off and wondered how she was going to get the hokage to give her a mission for the weekend.

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><p>She couldn't just let her plans crumble before they even begin. Ino sighed dramatically as she flopped herself onto her bed. So what, Tenten couldn't help that she had a mission. Huffing another heavy sigh, Ino rolled onto the floor, her hair covering the hard wood floor and her face. She wouldn't be defeated, but she certainly felt so. Her next date with Lee was on Saturday. He had suggested hiking because <em>why the hell not<em>, Ino thought. She had been hoping to enact phase one (phase one of one because why do plans need to be so complex?) of her plan by setting Tenten up on the date. Tenten would have been surprised. Lee would have been surprised. Maybe they'd kiss, she didn't know what to expect!

"Whatever could have happened definitely isn't happening now! It would have been so perfect!" she yelled, strands of hair flying away from her face. _They would have met up, fallen in love through the power of hiking, and my job would be done. _Why she thought things would ever be that simple, she won't really understand.

That's when she heard a knock at her door.

She wasn't expecting anyone. Maybe her neighbor was being fussy because she was yelling. That bitch. With a hop, Ino quickly went to the door of her apartment. It wasn't her overweight, hateful neighbor. It was Sai.

"Good evening?" Sai acted like he wasn't sure if it was a question or a statement. Nonetheless, he smiled.

"It is now." Ino grinned. She hadn't had any time to work on her own self interests (namely Sai and his cute butt) since starting this thing with Lee. She hoped Sai didn't know about it. He was the one person she didn't want to know. Although it was only an arrangement with the green beast, Sakura and Tenten both seemed to believe, thankfully, that Ino was actually dating Lee.

Of course, she could just tell them all the truth, but that would just be too easy. Heroines went through trials and roughed it out. Ino's trial was helping Lee in the "getting over Sakura" area of his life, matchmaking Tenten and Lee, and helping her best friend get an obnoxious man off her back. Besides, Sakura had dared her to do it. Maybe she wasn't twelve anymore, but she'd be damned if she couldn't handle a challenge thrown at her by the pink haired woman.

She just did _not_ want Sai thinking she was the kind of woman who would cheat on her boyfriend however fake said boyfriend may be. She was a heroine in this story, not a villain.

"Is it?" Sai seemed curious though his expression didn't show it clearly. He held up a bottle. "Naruto said people bond over shared inebriation."

Ino grinned wickedly before pulling him into her apartment. "You're a life saver, Sai-kun." She didn't know why he was being so friendly with her. So romantic – no, romantic wasn't the right word. So flirty? No, still wrong. She placed the bottle on her kitchen table, giving the man a long look. He was only smiling at her. She always thought that women were much more mysterious and tricky than men. It was one of her gender's upper hands. Sai was an exception. At least when she was attracted to Sasuke, he had made his intentions clear. He had never wanted her. Sai did.

With that, all other thoughts were thrown away.

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><p><strong>Date Three<strong>

This wasn't exactly Ino's idea of a fun date. She'd rather like for a strong, sexy man to be doting on her, fanning her and giving her cold sweets to fight off the heat of this absurdly hot day. Nope, this was not her idea. Standing next to her was the ever spirited Lee in what Ino had to admit were okay, although plain, casual clothes. A dark green t-shirt and gray pants. Good enough. They were facing the entrance of the path that he had decided they needed to take up the mountain. It looked simple enough to Ino, but it also looked _boring_.

"If I hike to the end of the trail before noon, I will get over Sakura-chan!" Lee threw a fist up, giving Ino a grin.

"Then get to it, lover boy. You have two hours." Ino knew he needed encouragement and tried to offer it when he wasn't grating on her nerves.

He raced off, and she couldn't help but feel annoyed that he would leave her behind. Sure, she told him to hurry. Yeah, she wants him to get over Sakura. That's the point, right? But this was still supposed to be a date. Kind of. She followed him up the path, letting the forest swallow her.

An hour into the hike, Ino found herself panting, ready to take a break. Why was it so hot? She gazed up at the tree branches above her, sunlight shining through the leaves before kissing her bare arms. She was wearing a t-shirt, too, like Lee. She wasn't dumb. Hiking was an easy task for a shinobi, who pretty much had to endure much worse nearly every day. Nonetheless, she knew proper clothing was necessary. Simple hike, simple clothes. It was a date, after all. _Stupid Tenten for having a mission and not being here._

She resisted the impulse to jump up into the branches above to catch up with Lee. He must have made it to the end of the path by now, right? It had only been an hour. She wasn't familiar with this place so she had no idea how long it would take. Stepping off the dirt path, Ino kicked a tree a few times before sitting on a large rock. Some date this was turning out to be. This was not only boring, but she couldn't see what she was getting out of it. Her bangs were sticking to her forehead, slick with sweat.

She wanted to go back to the village, take a hot bath, and talk to her girlfriends. Maybe even make out with Sai some more. He had left on a mission the night before, which irritated her. Just when things seemed to get heated between them, he leaves her to deal with Lee all alone. Never mind the fact that he doesn't know about the situation at all. She just knew that when this supposed date was over, she was _not _going to be kissing Sai when she returned to the village.

Worst part of the whole situation, she noted when her stomach growled loudly, was that Lee had their lunches. Standing up resolutely, she continued her trek up the mountain.

–

"Ino-san! I made it before noon!"

_Kami, this can't be my life_. Ino was near the end of the trail forty five minutes after taking that break. She wanted to beat Lee to a pulp as soon as she made it to the end of the path. First he leaves her behind, and now he was – what _was_ he doing? She gave him a once over. He was grinning at her, sweaty, and shirtless. She couldn't say she was all that surprised by his muscles because being a taijutsu master had its perks. Still, she looked at him appreciatively for a few seconds before flopping herself down next to where he was standing.

Um, he just wasn't as hairy as she imagined he would be. That was all.

"Good for you. Are you over Sakura now?" Ino asked as she rested her arms on her knees, her chin on her arms.

"Yes!" Lee exclaimed, joining her on the grass. "Actually, I do not really know. I think so."

"If Sakura were here right now and wanted to kiss you, would you do it?"

"Yes!" was his immediate response.

Ino chuckled a little. "Then you aren't over her, you idiot. Would you kiss Tenten if she wanted you to?"

This he had to think about. Ino's green eyes grazed over his tight stomach muscles, then moved upward to see him frown slightly. "Probably yes. If she truly wanted me to."

The blonde raised her head, looking right into his eyes. "Would you feel bad about it? Like guilty because you like Sakura?"

"Yes. . ." He admitted, his frown deepening.

She sighed a little. This was what she was expecting. The power of hiking wasn't worth a damn, apparently. All it did was make her sweat in places that she hadn't done in a while. "I wouldn't mind some wind right now. It's so humid," she complained, her bottom lip protruding as she tried to blow a breath up at her forehead. Shouldn't be hard since she had a cute _normal sized_ forehead.

Her train of thought stopped when she felt a hand move her bangs to rest behind her ear, then a cool breath caressing her forehead. "Is that better?"

Her eyes widened in mild astonishment. "What if I wanted you to kiss me?"

Wait, why had she said that? Must be the heat.

"Do you want me to, Ino-san?" Lee didn't look embarrassed, just confused.

She snickered, knocking away thoughts of any kind of lip lock with this strange man, before patting him on the cheek just a bit condescendingly. "If I wanted a kiss from you, I would just kiss you myself."

This time, he did blush. _I take it back, Kami, this must be my life. Ino Yamanaka, making men blush everywhere, _she thought. Giving his body one more appreciative glance, she got back to her feet. "Where is this spring you spoke of earlier? I'm hungry and sweaty so let's go."

He led her down a much narrower path leading away from the trail to a small secluded spring and was that a waterfall? How cute.

She promptly took off her shirt, revealing a swimsuit underneath. Nothing too flashy. It was a date, but she kept it tame for Lee. _Not that he's doing the same for me_, she thought to herself, sneaking yet another peek at her companion's muscular frame as he removed his shoes.

They ate lunch in a comfortable silence, their feet dipping in and out of the cold water. She noticed that he ate a lot and offered some of her food to him since she knew she couldn't eat a full meal; she never did. He smiled at her gratefully before he shoved some of her rice balls into his mouth.

"This feels great on my feet," Ino said, wiggling her toes in the water. "Good job, lover boy. Other than leaving me in the beginning, this date hasn't been so bad." She looked at him with a smirk, jabbing him in the side. Maybe it was so she could feel his muscles for herself. For whatever reason she did it, she knew she was flirting, and quickly pulled her hand back. Ino wasn't the kind of girl who flirted awkwardly. Especially not with Rock Lee.

"Yosh!" The boisterous man cried, pounding the air with both fists. "But when will we be done with this?"

Ino knew what he was talking about, but played dumb, raising her eyebrows and tilted her head to the side. She wanted him to break off their little arrangement himself. As soon as he felt confident enough to approach another woman (namely, Tenten, Ino hoped) and let Sakura go, he would be able to figure it out on his own. She didn't need to be the one to tell him. "Huh?"

"This thing between us cannot go on forever," he supplied, his eyes piercing her in an unwavering gaze.

"But it could," she breathed, slowly putting a hand on his arm. She knew what she was doing was a bad idea, but she also knew that if she scared Lee a little bit, he would try harder to get over Sakura. _Just don't fall in love with me, lover boy_, she thought, sliding her hand up his arm and to the back of his neck. She leaned toward him, placing a light kiss on his collar-bone. "Think about it, I would get to boss you around forever."

"I-Ino-chan!" Lee jumped up, away from her.

All she could do was burst into vivacious laughter.

* * *

><p>"How's the thing?" Sakura asked as she entered Ino's apartment.<p>

"Don't you ever knock?" Ino said with a playful glare, placing the magazine she had been reading onto her coffee table. She sat up on her sofa, knowing if she continued to lounge, her best friend would just sit on her. She knew what Sakura was talking about, but the pink haired woman could be so purposely vague sometimes. The _thing_ could have meant several things. But Ino knew.

"Whatever, Ino-pig." Sakura joined her on the small sofa, drawing her legs up. "Just tell me about your dates with Lee."

"They're good," Ino told her curtly while putting on a show of examining her nails. "Why? Have you heard anything?"

"I heard you guys went out into the forest for _hours _today and came back all sweaty. Lee was even shirtless," Sakura snickered, using her foot to jab at the blonde. "Is that really how it was today?"

Ino knocked the offending foot away and put on a sly smile. "It's true. He took me to this waterfall and confessed his undying lust to me. Then he ripped his clothes off, showed me his whopping package, and then we made sweet love for hours. Underneath the waterfall, of course."

Not a second later, Sakura smacked Ino on the shoulder in perturbation. "Yeah, right! What parts of that are true?!"

The blonde grinned mischievously, ignoring the horrid pain in her shoulder thanks to Sakura's hit. "You don't want to know."

"Good point," Sakura conceded with a solemn nod. "Anyway, I came to ask if you and Lee wanted to go on a group date with me, Sasuke, Naruto, and Hinata."

"You're kidding, right?" Ino's naughty attitude flew south, being replaced with annoyance. "Lee and I haven't been together long enough to do that." If they had a double date this soon, Lee would only be tempted by Sakura. Ino knew her best friend wasn't stupid so she must want to do this just to complicate things. It was basically like saying _'You think you can get Lee to get over me that easily? I'd like to see you try, Ino-pig.'_ Damn it, Sakura.

"If you've already seen his _throbbing _package, then what's a little date with other couples?" Sakura asked, prodding the blonde with her foot again.

"I said _whopping. _If it were throbbing, I wouldn't know what to do with myself," Ino corrected, trying to make light of the new challenge presented by her friend despite her annoyance. "I'll talk to Lee, and we'll go on the stupid group date. Just let me know when and where."

As her best friend left, Ino couldn't help but smile to herself. Count on Sakura to make life interesting, not as if her life wasn't interesting as it was. _You're on, billboard brow._

* * *

><p>As she layed out her bed roll, Tenten peered over at her partner for the mission she had practically begged the hokage to give her. He was lean and handsome; what she knew of him came from Sakura. "Sai, do you need help?" She knew he was far from incompetent, but she felt she needed a reason to talk to him. He didn't seem like the type who liked chit chat.<p>

He ignored her.

_Okay then._

The mission they were on had been simple; they were resting for the night on their way back to Konoha. He had first watch, but because it was such a hot night she laid awake, thinking about what Ino could be doing. She felt a little guilty for turning down the bossy blonde's invitation to hang out. Tenten didn't consider herself one to hold grudges anyway. When she returned home, though, she knew she was going to avoid the woman like a plague. A wind blew past her, making her sigh. That was the first relief from the heat that she had experienced all day.

"Can I paint you?"

The voice in the night shocked her, halting her thoughts.

"Pardon me?" She sat up, looking over at her stoic companion.

"You don't look like Sakura or Ino. You're different; I want to paint you."

_Why would I look like either of them? Aside from the obvious difference in looks, I don't waste my time on make up or extreme hair care,_ she thought, feeling a little uncomfortable and annoyed. It was a full moon, but there was no way he could see her that well. Despite all this, she nodded.

When he smiled, she blinked before relaxing and letting out a small laugh, the wind carrying it away.

* * *

><p>To me, Sai is a bit of an enigma.<p> 


	3. Hey

**Note:** The unplanned hiatus of this is over, I believe. Right after I began this, my life became unexpectedly hectic (university and wedding nonsense, sorry) and it's become so neglected. Anyway, I know next to nothing about cooking and I've never owned a chabudai (a Japanese short-legged table) so there may be inaccuracies in this chapter. Also, I'm trying to keep the timeline a wee bit fluid so things may be boring and/or confusing. Beware.

_I can see that now. I did this to myself. I threw my love around. I barely noticed if you returned it. As I leaned ever closer, you leaned more away. All that you wouldn't give, I thought I could just take. –__** Hey (the blow)**_

* * *

><p>Seeing that gorgeous man standing outside her apartment made Ino's heartbeat speed up monumentally. Was that the word she would have used to describe it?<em> Monumentally.<em> Sure, sounds about right. His dark hair striking against his pale features all present as he leaned against the outside of her apartment next to her front door. She did have a headache from working, but this could be the right medicine she needed. He seemed to appear when she needed him most, lately.

_We must be on the same wave length,_ she thought as she tried to ignore her migraine and let him follow her into her home.

"I have only been receiving low level missions lately. I'm not sure why, but it gives me the chance to see my friends more often. We're friends, right?"

She bit her bottom lip to suppress a grin and placed a cup of tea in front of him. "We're good friends, Sai. Would I make out with just anyone?"

He seemed thoughtful for a moment before smiling and saying, "Yes."

Ino's jaw dropped. "Hey!" She smacked Sai playfully on the shoulder. Was he flirting with her or just being mean? She didn't really care.

Her kitchen grew quiet as he took a drink of his tea. She watched him lift the cup to his lips to blow on the hot liquid. She was aware of how much he resembled her former love. There was a big difference this time, she told herself. This one returned her affections.

Wasn't that enough?

* * *

><p><strong>Date Four<strong>

"Now, get out some sugar and rice flour, Lee." Ino ordered, slipping a boring brown apron on. It didn't clash with her outfit color wise, but it was far too large and made her look like she was wearing a sack.

"Yes!" He rushed around her, opening cabinets and placing the ingredients on his kitchen counter next to some that Ino had brought over. "Anything else?"

Surveying the items before her, Ino shook her head. "Nope. It looks good." She turned to him, making as serious an expression as she could manage. "Are you ready?"

Lee, wearing an identical plain brown apron of his own, nodded exaggeratedly.

"Okay, first. . ." Ino pulled out a slip of paper that Hinata had given her earlier that day. It listed the recipe and methods for making sesame dumplings._ Tenten's favorite food_, Ino thought, delighted at her newest idea. She quickly read the first part of the directions then conveniently stuck the paper onto his fridge with a magnet. "First, you need to toast the sesame seeds."

"Yosh!" He immediately put the seeds into the pan and turned on his stove.

Ino stood by, hoping she wouldn't have to do much more than casually observe the whole process. She'd told him that a definite way into a woman's heart is to cook food for her. Then she had proposed the challenge that if he didn't make the food correctly, he would never get over Sakura and was doomed to live a lonely life in misery.

Then she planned to challenge him to give it to someone he knew who would like it. Of course that would be Tenten. Then the fireworks would spring forth and burst, a sun would set, waves would crash against a beautiful seaside. Lee and Tenten together forever.

Ino couldn't help but snicker to herself before Lee knocked her out of her thoughts with a loud, "Are they supposed to smell like this, Ino-chan?"

Heaving a sigh as if this were the most laborious task ever given to her, she pulled the pan away from the flames of the stove before turning it off. "Yes, that means they're done. Next, mince them."

"Mince?" Lee just looked at her, eyes wide.

"Yeah, like finely chop them."

Still just a blank stare from the man. She reached up and smacked him on the forehead. "Come on! I'm not the one trying to fall out of love here! Grind the damn seeds."

"Of course!" He dumped the seeds onto his counter. She didn't feel like pointing out that he would need a cutting board or something to keep from grinding the seeds into nothing but stains on his countertop. If he wanted to leave marks on his counter it was his own problem. It was a shame, though, because Lee had a pretty nice apartment from what Ino could tell even if she hadn't seen much of it yet.

When he pounded one of his fists onto the seeds, she jumped.

_What is he doing!?_ She watched him beat the seeds a few more times, wondering how he wasn't busting apart the tiles of the counter in the process, before he stopped, looking over at her expectantly.

"Is this minced enough?"

She gave the pile of dusty crumbs a once over, deciding that it was_ good enough_. "Sure, although," she said, looking back up at him. "Usually you'd use a suribachi for this kind of thing but whatever, it's your call." She glanced at the recipe paper, noticing that it was next to an old photo of his team when they were all chunin. Gai and Lee were on each side of a sullen looking Neji, Tenten standing just in front of the Hyuuga, an unmatchable grin upon her blushing face.

"That was taken during Neji's fifteenth birthday party!" Lee told her with a grin. "It was a fun night. He was not at all happy with the gifts that Gai-sensei and I gave him."

The blonde turned her attention back to the man next to her. "What did you give him?"

"Gai gave him advice on wooing Tenten," Lee began, then he leaned forward and finished in a quieter voice. "I gave him permission to woo her. She is like my sister so I knew he needed my blessing first."

Ino's face fell. She huffed in annoyance, and read the next step of the recipe. "Back to work, lover boy. Put that sesame dust into a wok."

While Lee continued to cook, Ino stared at the photo and considered for just a second that maybe her plan was futile._ Nonsense! I'm Ino. Matchmaker extraordinaire. The lovely – no, coquettishly beautiful heroine of this tale._ She smiled to herself and nodded resolutely.

–

Once everything was finished, a very messy Lee served Ino a bowl of sesame dumplings in ginger syrup. Ino couldn't say it was her favorite food, but since it wasn't really for her and he had such a large, hopeful grin, she thought it would be best to just try it out and hope for the best.

Lee's expectant gaze caused her to be a bit dramatic when sampling the food. She took a quick bite and narrowed her eyes as she smacked her lips. "Hmm. . . I see." She looked down at the dumpling between her chop sticks then up at the anxious man. "Lee, this is wonderful."

"Yosh!" He literally jumped, beaming with pride. He sat across from her at his kitchen table, finally taking a rest for the first time since she showed up at his apartment earlier that afternoon.

Ino finished the first dumpling with an appreciative smile. "Have you made these before?"

Still beaming, Lee shook his head. "I have not! But now you must admit I met your challenge."

"Yeah," she conceded. "You won't live a terrible life as a lonesome hermit after all. Especially if you give this to a certain lucky lady." She pushed the bowl across the table to him, hoping he would take the hint.

"Lucky lady?" His large eyebrows rose in question.

Ino rested her chin on her hand, leaning lightly on the table. "You worked so hard on this meal. Can you think of anyone who would really love it if you shared this with them?"_ Really, do I need to be any more obvious, Lee?_

"I made it for you, though," he said, his expression slowing revealing disappointment.

She snorted, waving a hand dismissively. "This was just practice for when you give some to your real girlfriend. So you don't know anyone you would want to share this with?" She reached across the table and picked up another dumpling, savoring the natural sugar that the ginger syrup added. She hadn't had anything sweet in so long, she was beginning to wonder if holding off of her pudding intake was such a great idea.

"No, I do not," Lee looked away from her, being a bit dramatic if you asked Ino.

_Fine. I don't know why you're acting this way, but fine,_ she thought before finally voicing the main reason she wanted to have this date in the privacy of his apartment. She needed to have a long talk with the man in front of her. "We've been invited to go on a group date."

He returned his gaze to her, one large brow quirked this time. He didn't say anything so she assumed he wanted her to continue.

"We were invited by Sakura and Sasuke. Naruto and Hinata will be there, too. It's tomorrow afternoon at Sasuke's house." Ino calmly placed the chop sticks on the table, peeking up at him through her eyelashes. She wanted to gauge his reaction. How he reacted to this affected what she would do next.

"Great!" He was back to grinning and picked up the chopsticks to eat some of the dumplings himself.

She had a feeling he would like this idea. He had been keeping his distance from her best friend ever since that time in the bar weeks before. Surely he was missing her. "Excited to see Sakura?"

"Yes!" was his reply before he sheepishly scratched his head, shrugging, and amended, "I mean, not really."

She slammed a hand on the table, giving him a severe look. "You better not be! I'm sorry to tell you this, but her forehead is still larger than her bra size." She knew he missed Sakura, but this fact made her feel like her efforts so far had been useless. Of course, with Lee, things couldn't simply be "out of sight, out of mind". Withdrawing her hand, she leaned back in her chair, giving him a long look. "What do you like so much about Sakura anyway?"

Lee blushed at the question. "I knew I loved her as soon as I saw her. I did not even know her name, yet she filled my heart with such a power of youth I had never felt before. Then I came to learn she has a beautiful heart as well. That is what I like about her."

_Ridiculous romantic babble_. Ino hated it. Mushy stuff like that made Ino's stomach churn in odd ways. She deemed it the worst way of flattering a girl. She loved Sai's way of asking for kisses directly, skipping any unneeded flamboyant language. If Lee was so in love, she knew he was going to have a hard time on the double date. "This will be a big challenge, Lee."

His eyes lit up at that. "I will be the most romantic man on the date, and the tables will be turned!" A dumpling flew past Ino's head as he swung the chop sticks around as he spoke. "If I get over Sakura, she will fall in love with me! Then, I surely could not disappoint her so I will accept her love. She will be my girlfriend again!" He triumphantly continued to eat another dumpling.

Ino gave him a hard smack across the face, dumplings spewing out of his mouth. "You idiot! That defeats the purpose of what I've been teaching you this whole time!"

Rubbing the mushy remains of the dumpling off of his chin with one hand, the other hand rubbing his red cheek, Lee gave her a pleading look. "Ino-chan, I know you have been helping me a lot. I truly appreciate it, and I will return the favor one day, I promise to you! But I cannot go against my heart. Sakura is important to me."

Ino couldn't help but feel slightly distressed at his confession. "This isn't a matter of following your heart, Lee! You may be serious about Sakura, but she is serious about Sasuke. She's been in love withhim since the academy days."

"That is true, but – "

"Let me finish!" She huffed in annoyance, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "If you have any respect for her, let her go. It's the best thing you can do for unrequited love. I would know."

The two glared at each other quietly for a few moments before Lee's features softened. "You let go of Sasuke."

Releasing her own glare, Ino slowly nodded. "It's all I could do. I still care about him, but things are better. I'm over him now."

"How did you do it?" Lee questioned, his dark eyes flickering across her face, searching her eyes for an answer.

"I don't know." She fixed him into a hard stare. She really didn't know; she didn't like to think about it because the more she let it cross her mind, the more she thought she hadn't really gotten over the Uchiha at all. Sai occupied that place in her brain now. He was a good replacement. A replacement who showed interest in return.

And, yes, that was enough.

* * *

><p>Tenten stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. Her complexion wasn't perfect, but she didn't have any noticeable blemishes. Her hair wasn't silky, but it was smooth and soft. Sure her features weren't anything exotic, brown eyes and brown hair. But they weren't ugly by any standards either. Sighing in resignation, Tenten accepted that she was just absurdly average.<p>

_Too average for Lee?_ She asked herself when she began to tie her hair up as she got ready for the day. She tried to dismiss the negative thoughts again. Maybe this would be the day she would just tell Ino how she felt about the situation. Then again, did she have any right to do that? Lee was her best friend. If he was happy, why should she stop it? Besides, Ino was her friend, too, even if the blonde bitch was dating her crush.

No matter how many times she thought about it, she knew she didn't want to date Lee. Not yet. She just couldn't stand the thought that he was dating Ino. Couldn't he wait for Tenten to come around to dating again? Her feelings for him were strong enough for her to be jealous; she just needed time to get comfortable with the idea of dating. Then she could love him for all he was worth.

To her, Lee was worth more than a dare.

* * *

><p>"If I fail to get over Sakura by the end of this date, I will go on 300 more dates!" Lee shouted as he walked with Ino toward the Uchiha compound where they were to meet the others.<p>

_Yeah, I think not_. Ino thought from beside him, wishing he were quieter sometimes. She let him wear his jumpsuit so he wouldn't have the added discomfort of clothes he wasn't used to. He was already nervous about seeing Sakura for the first time in so long. Ino even wore a short dress in a similar shade of green to compliment him. Sure, it wasn't her color, but she wanted to look good with her date!

As Sasuke greeted them at the entrance of his house, Lee slipped an arm around Ino's waist, pulling her to his side. Ino fought back a surprised yelp. She was a kunoichi for Kami's sake. But Lee was strong, and being pressed to his side suddenly made her feel smaller.

"Welcome, Ino, Lee." Sasuke seemed entirely unfazed by Lee's overly gracious grin and Ino's confused expression and allowed them inside once they removed their shoes.

It seemed as though Ino and Lee were the last ones to arrive because Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura were already there, sitting around a long chabudai. Lee sat on the opposite end of the table from Sakura, being very obvious about not looking in her direction. Ino sat between him and Naruto, smiling at everyone and trying to ignore Sakura's grin aimed at Lee.

Ino felt a pang of guilt in her gut. Here she was trying to help Lee get over someone, this would be like a mini torture session. She's seen and been apart of her fair share of torture, but the pang she felt gave her a feeling of hatefulness toward Sakura for wanting to complicate Lee's progress. Ino would help Lee even if it drove her crazy! She didn't realize she was in such deep thought until everyone at the table became quiet and looked at the newest additions to the group.

Sai smiled minutely when he sat on the opposite side of Lee, joined shortly by Tenten who looked completely uncertain. She slowly looked at everyone at the table, stopping on Lee who greeted them before anyone else as Sasuke finally joined them.

"Hey!" Lee exclaimed, slapping an arm on Sai's back. The friendly gesture was accepted as Sai returned the energetic man's grin. "You have come with Tenten as a couple?"

Ino leaned forward to look past Lee, staring intently at both Tenten's and Sai's expression as he answered. The brunette's eyes widened and Sai's face became blank, and Ino could tell immediately that Lee's assumption was incorrect. Why would Sai come to a group date anyway? Ino thought it was a bit shitty of him to show up with another woman. Didn't they have something between them? She cared a lot for Sai, and this kind of hurt.

Yes, alright, she was here with Lee, but Sai didn't exactly know that. He just knew they were there together, not that they had come as a couple. She waited for his answer, hoping he would deny any relationship with Tenten.

"Yes," Sai began, "But it is mostly because we didn't want to be left out."

Tenten's expression changed from uncertain to annoyed in a flash. "Yeah, it's a date for us." She nudged Sai in the side but it had absolutely no affect on him. Why did he have to mention the last part? That was the excuse she gave him to justify their coming. Immediately after she learned Ino and Lee were going to be there, she wanted to be apart of the event. Sasuke and Sakura hadn't invited them, but Naruto had mentioned it to Sai who relayed it to her.

"Well. . . We're glad you came," Hinata expressed with a warm smile.

* * *

><p>The first several hours of the group date involved heavy eating and drinking, so everyone with the exception of Ino, Lee, and Sasuke who opted out of drinking altogether, were slightly drunk. Ino watched with annoyance as Sai would share drinks and food with Tenten who giggled and blushed just a bit too much, if you asked Ino. Every time Sai would say something to Tenten, the weapons mistress would gaze over at the couple in green, making sure Ino was paying attention, and then proceed to fawn over the pale man. Nothing goes unnoticed by Ino, so every sigh, every touch between the two were like slaps to the blonde's face.<p>

Ino slipped her arms loosely around Lee's left arm, clinging to him like she had always done to Shikamaru to annoy him when they were younger. He looked at her curiously, making no move to get away from her.

"Hey, loverboy," she purred, looking up at him and batting her eyes. If Tenten was going to get flirty with Sai, Ino could play the same game. She didn't know why Tenten was so flirtatious with Sai, but it was making her uncomfortably jealous. She hoped to kill two birds with one stone by making them both jealous in return. At least, she wanted Sai to get jealous, too. Whether or not he actually would was another thing. "You're so strong. You make me feel like a delicate flower." Lee blushed lightly at Ino's words before opening his mouth to say something in return.

Unfortunately, he was interrupted. "So, Lee, I haven't seen you around, lately."

For the first time during the night, Lee looked at Sakura. Though it wasn't visible, Ino could feel him tense.

"I have been training a lot lately," he responded, smiling despite himself. He had missed seeing Sakura.

"More like he's been hanging out with Ino a lot lately," Naruto added to the conversation in between bites of food. He was the only one still eating. He would probably be eating until Sasuke showed them out.

"That's the damn truth," Tenten murmured. She hadn't meant to say it out loud, but as soon as all eyes were on her, she realized her accident.

Sai blinked a couple of times before saying, "That upsets you."

Immediately, the brunette became defensive. "Lee loses focus when he's infatuated with girls, of course I don't enjoy that on the training grounds. He's less of a challenge."

Ino felt Lee's arm slip away from her in one quick motion as he leaned toward his teammate in surprise. "Is this true, Tenten?!" He seemed completely horror-stricken at the idea of being less of a challenge than he had thought.

Tenten, enjoying that his full attention was on her for the first time that night, nodded sagely and maybe a bit exaggeratedly.

If Lee's eyes could get any wider, they would have then. "We have to train right now!" He shot up, grabbed her arm, and they ran from the room. The group left behind sat in silence once the sound of sandals being shuffled on and the front door being opened and closed sounded through the house.

"I think we should call it a night," Sasuke announced, standing up from the table and stretching.

Sai offered to walk Ino to her apartment, and she enjoyed the company, feeling that the group date was a triumphant success even though she did feel a bit empty with the way Lee had lefft. It was so sudden and rude, she thought. He didn't even look in her direction before just getting up and leaving. She walked slower than she normally would, tossing away all thoughts on the matter and relishing in the attention from the guy she fancied.

"You are very close to Rock Lee," Sai stated, giving her what she would consider an inquisitve look.

"I suppose so." She shrugged, her hair swaying behind her shoulders. "You seemed pretty intimate with Tenten tonight." She fought to keep her voice from sounding accusatory. She wasn't Sai's girlfriend. She didn't know _what_ they had, if anything. And she sure as hell wasn't going to assume they were something, even if it was what she really wanted.

"Intimate?" Sai thought this over for a moment before nodding. "We were very friendly tonight. It was fun."

Ino felt a second pang that night. This time, it was in her heart. "Yeah, it was a fun time."

"I like having fun with you," Sai admitted as they approached her apartment and stopped walking.

"Just like you enjoy having fun with Tenten?" Ino faced him and felt like her heart was dropping into a pit somewhere within her.

Sai looked troubled for a moment before shaking his head. "No, being with Tenten is a different kind of fun."

_A different kind of fun? Is that a good thing?_ Ino's mind raced. She was too emotionally tired at the moment to think about all of this, though and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Goodnight, Sai."

As she walked away, he called to her, "Can I join you tonight?" She looked back at him, pausing in her ascension to her apartment.

"Not tonight." _Definitely not tonight. Is that the only kind of fun he considers me?_

Closing and locking the door behind her, she flopped onto her small couch with a heavy sigh. From feeling abandoned by Lee to worried that Sai and Tenten were suddenly a_ thing_, she suddenly had a lot to think about. A strong heroine would know how to get through this, and Ino wasn't going to disappoint herself.

* * *

><p>Sweat covered Tenten's face and neck as she lied on her back on the cool grass of the training ground. Lee was somewhere nearby doing complex push ups that always made Tenten roll her eyes. When she finally saw him appear above her in the darkness, she smiled.<p>

"You're suddenly my toughest opponent tonight, Lee," she complimented. "I've missed this determined side of you."

He didn't sit beside her so she stood up to made it easier to converse. He seemed a lot less concerned about his apparent lack of strength than before so it looked like he had gotten it all out of his system.

"Was I really in that bad of shape?" He asked, puzzled at why Gai-sensei would allow this to happen.

She nodded slowly, although this was a complete lie. He hadn't been slacking off in training at all, but if the only kind of attention he was willing to give her at the moment involved sparring, then she was going to take what she could get and use it to her advantage.

"About you and Ino," she began before hesitating.

He waited, his wide eyes searching her face curiously.

"Are you happy?" She finished, looking down at her feet.

Lee didn't expect that but responded immediately. "Ino has helped me a lot. She has a better heart than I had thought."

_A better heart_, Tenten thought, a cross between annoyed and amused. _He always brings up girls' hearts_.

"Could you be happy with my heart?" she blurted, looking back up at his face.

This caught him off guard more, and he took a moment to answer. "What do you mean?"

"Um, just," She gave him a hopeful look. "Just, Lee, my heart, there's a lot of love in it. Could you just- could you wait for me?"

Lee wasn't stupid; he had an idea of what she meant. He didn't want to disappoint her because he knew what she said was true. She did have a lot of love in her heart. So he reluctantly nodded yes.

Then her lips were on his.

* * *

><p>Sorry for any grammar mistakes and that most characters are pretty flat. I'm just writing for fun, and I'm not as practiced as I'd like. Thanks for reading!<p> 


	4. Why Don't You

**One, Naruto actually ended, like wow. Two, I'm a piece of shit, I know. I've rewritten this chapter so many times. Three, sorry if you don't like feet because there are feet in this.**

_Why don't you come over here into my world? I've got a place for you. -** Why Don't You (the blow)**_

* * *

><p>Ino's eyes shot open at the sound of a few rapid taps on her front door. Her alarm clock read 4:30 am. With a grimace, she rolled out of her bed and stomped to the entrance of her apartment. She ran a hand through her hair, willing her bangs to settle out of her face as she opened the door.<p>

"Ino-chan!"

Oh_ no._ It was dark outside, but the dim light from a nearby street lamp shining off the teeth of her guest was enough to set off little alert signals in her brain telling her that she should _not_ have opened the door without checking first.

"What are you doing here, Lee?" Her voice was gravelly from sleep, but she was too tired to care even as Lee's grin faded a bit while his eyes began to take in her appearance. Then he was staring at her instead of answering her question. She cleared her throat impatiently and prodded him in the chest with an index finger. "Are you here to show me the sunrise?"

Lee blinked once before grinning again. "I want to talk with you."

Ino leaned on the door frame, crossing her arms. "Can't this wait? It's four thirty in the morning."

Lee shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about Tenten before I begin my morning exercises. It is important that -"

Ino threw up a hand. "Just give me five minutes, and we'll go for a walk, alright?" Without waiting for him to answer, she shut the door in his face.

* * *

><p>"You accepted her confession?" Ino quirked an eyebrow, giving Lee a sideways glance as they walked aimlessly through the village. It was still dark out, though the black sky was beginning to brighten into blue, yellow, then orange on the eastern horizon.<p>

"It was not exactly a confession. She kissed me." Lee purposefully looked at their surroundings while the blonde took it all in.

A kiss was a confession. A kiss was like the number one rule in the love confession handbook, if there was one. Well, besides just saying "I like you", but actions speak so much louder than words. _Really, if you're such a romantic, why don't you just recognize that kiss at face value?_ Ino thought, giving Lee a scrutinizing look. "You kissed."

Lee nodded, not sharing anything more as they walked on. Sunlight was beginning to peek through the trees and buildings. Ino hadn't been awake this early in months and watched the first few rays of light appear with a sleepy grin. She grabbed Lee's bicep, wrapping an arm around it and squeezing. It was an old habit she'd refrained from doing to Shikamaru since he'd gotten married to Temari. Lee must have been growing on her to bring it out again, twice now. "This is great! You're pretty much Tenten's boyfriend now," she laughed.

When he didn't jerk from her grasp, she looked up at his face, expecting to see him blushing either at her comment or how close she was to him. Or both. Instead he began to laugh with her and gently placed a hand on her arm that was wrapped around his bicep. Then he jumped. Ino sucked in a sharp breath as they flew upward at a speed she wasn't used to before they landed on a rooftop nearby. She pulled away from him, unsure if she should yell at him for not warning her or laugh at herself for letting him pull her along so easily. There were traces of laughter still on his face, his dynamic grin making Ino pause because _is this him being playful?_

Sooner than she could make the decision, he pointed at the eastern horizon. "This is a good place to watch the sunrise. It is truly a youthful sight."

Rather than berate him for not only jerking her onto a random rooftop but also changing the topic of conversation in the least subtle of ways, she watched the sunrise with him. Because he was right; the sun was creating day, and it was beautiful.

* * *

><p>There was a lot Lee wasn't telling her, she could tell, but she didn't feel like asking about it that morning because all she could think about is the fact that Tenten wasn't hooking up with Sai after all. If anything that occurred between Sai and Tenten at the group date came to be anything more than joking, Ino would have a meltdown.<p>

She was making quick work of cleaning her apartment, wearing a frilly apron around her waist that she'd bought more just for the look and feel of being productive rather than actually having any practical use. Sai was coming over today. He hadn't explicitly told her that, but she knew Sai well enough and had a feeling that her sending him away after the group date was going to be just enough shove to draw him right back in.

A knock on her door for the second time that day sent a smile to her face. This time, she opened the door with a "Why, hello" only to see that it was Tenten.

The brunette hesitated in responding to the way she'd been greeted. It was obvious that Ino had been expecting someone else, a man to be exact by the way Ino's expression dropped from flirty to confused. Tenten lifted a hand up anyway. "Hey, I wanted to talk."

_Getting the feeling of déjà vu_. Ino forced a smile and opened the door wide, motioning with her hand for her friend to go inside. "Sure, come in."

"I'll be quick," Tenten spoke as she sat on Ino's small couch. She took note of the blonde woman's apron and wanted to hurry in case she was interrupting some weird role play situation that Ino may have with the guy she was waiting for.

"It's whatever." Ino waved a hand dismissively. "Do you want some tea?"

Tenten sighed. "Let's skip the pleasantries, Ino. We're friends."

Knowing that formalities were a waste of time in situations like this, Ino couldn't help but offer tea. It'd become a habit since Sai had begun coming over. She plopped down next to her on the couch, giving her visitor a smile that was decidedly less forced. "I know you kissed Lee. He told me this morning."

"You kn- He told you?" Tenten's surprised expression made Ino's smile become smug.

"Yeah, he was happy. Honestly, I felt like he was bragging." It was kind of a lie, but she wanted to paint a more romantic picture of how Lee spoke of Tenten. In reality he seemed distant even after telling Ino all of what happened.

Tenten didn't say anything for a few moments. "You're not mad?"

_Mad? This was my plan all along!_ If Ino were the villain of this story, she'd be laughing maniacally at this. She shook her head and shrugged. "What's to be mad about? You're both happy, right?"

"I just… want you to know there are boundaries now."

Ino pretended to sigh dramatically before giving Tenten a shove. "There's nothing to worry about. Lee and I are done fake dating. He's not bothering Sakura anymore so the dare has been fulfilled, and he's all yours."

The brunette was unconvinced. "Just like that?"

"Pretty much."

Tenten seemed to process it a little more. This was easier than she'd been prepared for. "I guess… This wasn't as big a deal for you as it was for him?"

That was a weird thing for her to say, Ino thought. "What do you mean?"

"Lee has been talking about you a lot recently. You're in the running to be the next _youthful one junior_," Tenten smiled. "He even talked of getting you onto his training regimen at some point."

True to her namesake, Ino snorted indignantly. "In his _dreams_ maybe."

As they laughed together for the first time in a long time, there was a knock at Ino's door for the third time that day. They both watched Sai enter the apartment once Ino called out for him to come in. He removed his sandals and smiled in greeting them.

"I wasn't expecting to see both of the women I admire here," he said matter-of-factly.

The two women looked at each other briefly before staring at him. The feeling of Ino's stomach dropping into a pit returned at his choice of wording. Sai sat in the only seat available in between the women, but because it was a small couch, it was a tight fit and he was pressed flush against each of their sides. Tenten got up at this, giving Ino an uncomfortable look. "I'm gonna go. I'm glad we talked."

Ino nodded, not even forcing a smile this time. She watched as Sai grabbed Tenten's hand before the weapons mistress could leave. "The painting is done," was all he said, letting go of her hand almost as quickly as he had grabbed it.

The blonde stared between them, watched as Tenten shifted from foot to foot, standing there with a confused expression across her face before it transformed into a look of realization. "Okay."

Sai's smile widened, actually reaching his eyes this time. "I'll give it to you next time we meet."

Ino felt the small pit in her stomach grow, deepening with every moment she watched. Tenten threw her an apologetic look and gave Sai a curt nod, and then she was out of there. Sai drank the tea Ino offered and stayed for most of the afternoon, talking about anything but the one thing Ino wanted to hear about. _What painting? _She wanted to belt out that Sai shouldn't be flirting with Tenten because she's Lee's girlfriend now. He shouldn't be giving Tenten paintings because _she_ is not the one who likes him. Ino let the emotions boil within her without bringing it up. She wasn't Sai's girlfriend. Not yet anyway.

* * *

><p>Tenten's attacks kept missing him. It was frustrating her more today than it ever had before that her teammate was so fast. It didn't help that she had more on her mind than usual. The first time, she had been thinking about what Ino had said that afternoon. That Lee had told her already. They only kissed the night before. Why did he feel the need to tell the Yamanaka so quickly? Ino was so full of it, saying how he was <em>bragging<em>. Lee was confident and obnoxious, but he hadn't outright bragged about something since they were teenagers. Tenten knew Lee well enough that he wouldn't be the kind of person to _literally_ kiss and tell without a reason.

The second time one of her weapons missed Lee by a wide mark, she was wondering what was up with Sai. She'd completely forgotten about the painting. The way Ino had looked between her and Sai back in the blonde's apartment had been enough to let Tenten know that there was something going on between Ino and Sai, and she wanted nothing to do with it.

The third time it happened, she was pretty fed up with these thoughts, and being the bluntly honest person she is, decided that she'd get to the bottom of this. Sighing, she called out, "I give up."

Lee was before her in a flash, concern on his face. "Are you alright? You are not fighting with all of the spirit you usually do."

"What's going on between you and Ino?"

His expression went from concern to surprise, a hand reaching up to wipe the sweat from the back of his neck. "We are friends. She gives me love advice."

"So that's why you told her about our kiss," she elaborated as she watched him massage the back of his neck a little. "You wanted love advice."

He nodded, adding, "I wanted to know if what I am doing is right."

"Being with me?" She asked, suddenly incredulous.

He nodded again.

"Lee, Ino isn't going to know the answer to that," she replied as she began to dust herself off. "Do _you_ think this feels right?"

"Honestly…" He began. "I feel good about it."

_You're answering without actually answering,_ Tenten thought. This wasn't like Lee, but this was new for them, and she had to have expected some mixed feelings from him. She knew she had plenty of her own.

"How about this," she supplied, hoping to not only quell his doubts but her own as well. "We go really slowly." She knew that "slow" didn't coincide with Lee's state of being, but she liked him and he had to like her to have accepted her, so really all they needed was time, and that was plentiful in the peaceful state Konoha had been in recent years. "No promises. So if the sex is bad, we can break up guilt free." The blush growing on her face belied the joking nature of her last comment. She avoided eye contact with him, already wishing she'd thought before she'd spoken.

A firm hand squeezing her shoulder and a reiterated "No promises" from Lee made her look up at his pink, grinning face. Nothing could make Lee break a promise, and over the years he's learned to not give promises freely. Tenten just wasn't sure if she could keep her promise of no promises.

* * *

><p>She had to do it. There was nothing else to be done. She'd checked her fridge four times that day, and pudding was not going to somehow magically appear. Which was unfortunate because she really needed it on that day of all days. She'd been up since four thirty in the freaking morning, she'd dealt with a semi-jealous Tenten warning her off of her newly secured man, and she'd witnessed Sai make subtle hints at having an interest in said brunette. So of course, Ino had to do it. She went out and bought an armload of pudding.<p>

"So much for my diet," she mumbled as she slid the key to her front door into the keyhole. Just as the clicks confirmed the door was unlocked, she felt a presence behind her.

"No, go away," she said, not even turning around. Her door was opened in a flash, but before she could shut it behind her, a hand blocked the way. She gave the door a good stamp of her foot, hoping she'd get the wannabe visitor to leave via sharp pain.

Lee was having none of it, and didn't even flinch at the pressure on his hand. "Please, Ino-chan, I need help." He sounded pitiful and they both knew it, which is why she turned around and surveyed his wide eyes and serious expression.

She pursed her lips in annoyance. "Unless you are here to rub my feet, I don't have time to help you right now, Lee."

He nodded so quickly in reply that she was surprised he didn't hurt himself. "I am the best at massages!"

She hesitated for a second before letting him in. He closed the door behind him, quickly turning around to lock it at Ino's insistence.

"It's getting late. Just give me a moment," Ino all but ordered him for the second time that day, dropping the bag full of pudding on the coffee table in her sitting area and heading to the kitchen for a spoon. She may or may not have planned to eat all of it in one sitting, and Lee's presence had done nothing to change that. Except when he joined her on the small couch, she found herself offering one to him.

They sat in silence, eating quietly and making eye contact so dead on that it was a miracle attributed to Lee's unwavering determination and Ino's inability to become uncomfortable with people she found less attractive than herself. After he finished eating his, he set the container down and pointed at Ino's feet without saying anything, only giving her a questioning look. She shrugged, stretching her legs out toward him, turning her body to face him. If he was going to take her condition seriously, then she was going to take advantage of it.

His hands weren't steady, and he suddenly couldn't look her in the eyes so she guessed he wasn't the "best at massages" like he'd claimed. The gentle way his rough hands rubbed her soft feet mingled with the feeling of satisfied delight from the pudding made Ino feel like she really was the heroine, and this was her moment. She glanced up from her comfort food to catch him looking at her. She smiled lightly, not wanting to outright say thank you for giving her this chance to relax. They'd been spending enough time together in the past few weeks that she hoped he could just understand from her expression that she was grateful, sparing her from embarrassing admittances. The silence was nice, and maybe his problem wasn't so urgent that they needed to speak for a bit longer.

Only that was too good to be true.

"It does not feel right," Lee said quietly, smoothing his thumbs along the slope of her foot, applying pressure in the right places.

Ino leaned toward him a little, looking at the foot he held. "What, where?"

"No, I mean," he let out a long sigh, continuing his ministrations. "It does not feel right to be with Tenten."

_Where is this coming from?_ It was like a shot in the dark, and Ino wasn't sure where he was coming from with this, but she knew where it was going. "Is this what you need help with?"

He nodded, keeping his attention on her toes.

She leaned back into her relaxed position. "I thought you were happy about that? You seemed off this morning, but I thought it was nerves or something. It's kind of a big deal, Lee." It's one thing to go from being friends to lovers, but something totally different when you go from being teammates to lovers. Ino knew this; Chouji had gotten so nervous being around her the few weeks they'd dated that she couldn't train with him, and that only succeeded in driving Shikamaru to spend more and more time with Temari. _And look where he is now_, Ino thought. _Married and miserable._ Okay, not miserable, per se. Actually maybe not miserable _at all_, but still -

Ino's inner digression was interrupted by Lee's answer.

"Yes, I feel good about it, but that does not mean it feels right."

She pulled her feet from his grasp, sitting up more to make it easier to talk. "What feels wrong about it?"

His hands opened and closed in his lap as if they weren't sure what to do without her feet there. "I still care about Sakura."

_He says he cares about her, but he doesn't say he loves her_, Ino notices. She doesn't understand why he's being so stubborn about this thing with Tenten. "Why don't you just let Sakura go?"

"I am trying," he defended mildly.

She needed to come up with something and quickly. Never had her plans felt like they may erode right in front of her eyes like they did right then. If Lee wasn't into Tenten then that meant Sai would definitely feel like he had a chance with the weapons mistress. Which spelled bad news for Ino and her heart, which had gotten more full with hopes of being with Sai as the days went on.

"Have you talked about this with Tenten?" Ino offered, hoping to work through this mostly for her own sake.

"Yes," he replied, playing with the binding on his hands.

Ino gave him a once over; his shoulders were slumped, and he was nearly in a state of perpetual pout when she reached over the smack him on the arm. "This isn't like you, Lee."

"We made an agreement to go slowly in the relationship," he supplied, looking at her as if searching desperately for a key that opened a chest of untold riches.

Ino propped an elbow on the back of the couch, a palm holding up her head as she thought. She was fighting an emotional crisis within herself at the thought of all the work these past weeks becoming pointless just because the most energetic man in the village couldn't gather the energy to date someone new. This must have been the first time she'd ever seen Lee act genuinely nervous about something. He wanted love advice, so she was going to try her best. Okay, well she was tired and overwhelmed by all the emotions of the day, so she was going to try her less than best in the most uninspired way.

"Why don't you pretend Tenten is Sakura until it becomes natural?"

His only response was to give her a slightly scandalized look.

"Or maybe you could treat it like a challenge?" She knew he couldn't turn down a challenge, and smirked to herself at this despite how lazy it was in terms of critical thinking.

"Ino, this is not like _you_," he said, suddenly leaning toward her to get a closer look at her face as if she could've been a different person. "You are saying hurtful things."

She quirked an eyebrow at this, his meaning lost on her as her inner strife fought to get her attention again. "What are you talking about, loverboy?"

He pulled away, sitting back in his spot. "Tenten is a person with feelings and hopes just like me and you. I cannot pretend she is someone else or treat her like a challenge." He rubbed the back of his neck like he was suddenly very tired. "Maybe I should not have bothered you with this."

Lee made a move to get up, but she blocked him by jutting a foot out in front of him. "Hey, wait a minute! What are you saying?"

He didn't hesitate to stare her right in the eyes as he spoke, a solemn look on his face. "Thank you for helping me. It has been a good friendship."

Ino couldn't help but feel with that stare and those words, he was attempting to put an end to their friendship right then and there. It wasn't as if she didn't have plenty of friends because she had _so many_ friends. She hated that he felt he could end it as easily as if he were closing a book before finishing it because he didn't like where the story was going.

He grabbed her ankles and lifted them away from him as he stood. Ino retracted her feet from him, moving to stand up herself. She made no move to stop him from leaving, but it didn't seem like he was in a hurry because he just stood there, locking eyes with her. She didn't want him to leave thinking their sort of, kind of friendship was over. The dare was over, but they knew each other a little better and appreciated each other more, didn't they? Maybe it had all been on her end.

"Lee, look, I'm sorry. I'm not asking you to hurt Tenten. Forget I said that." She wanted to cross her arms and glare at him because she knew he deserved it for wanting to cut ties with her so easily, but the bitterness she expected to be within her had been replaced with apathy and grief. "I have a lot on my mind, and you coming here has just overwhelmed me."

In an instant he became the Lee she was familiar with, his expression becoming apprehensive, that recognizable concerned frown coming to his face. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She waved him off with her hand. "Absolutely not." _I just don't want you ditching me_. Nobody ditched Ino. Except for Sakura when they were kids. And then Shikamaru when they were teenagers. And now, slowly, Sai was ditching her as well, she thought. She was brought out of that line of thought by the feel of something warm and smooth touching the palm of her hand. Looking down, she realized Lee was giving her a small notebook. The same one she'd seen him scribble into tens of times.

"When I have more to think over than I can handle at once, I write it down here." He walked toward her door and put his shoes on while she processed it. _He_ was giving _her_ advice? He was the problem here, she was the heroine. This wasn't right. "It will help you with your thoughts, I am sure of it. Goodnight!"

With him gone, she tossed the notebook on the coffee table in favor of more pudding. Stretching out as best as she could on the small sofa, she dug into her favorite dessert and allowed all of her repressed feelings of the day to wash over her slowly, wiping away the occasional tear with a quick swipe of her hand. She had so many plans she wanted to ruminate on to ensure Lee's romantic success, but right then it was just Ino and her beloved snack.

* * *

><p><strong>I promise feet aren't a big deal in this. It just happened that way with that one scene when I wrote it. Sorry to any foot fetishists, I suppose.<strong>


End file.
